Did you start with IDLE and move to a more mature IDE. Which IDE did you end up with and what kind of compromises did you make during that change. Let us know in the comments below.

I did end up just installing another copy of python, and I can run idle now. I think I may have done it wrong though, as the ../Tools/idle directory is in my home directory.<BR><BR>Oh well, it works.

You're taking a new programming class this fall, and you don't know anything about code. Python is taught widely in schools, and it's one of the most loved programming languages because it's simple.